Government allocation of property rights: who gets what?

Elizabeth S. Rolph

Expert InsightsPublished 1983

In recent years, analysts have hotly debated what purposes underlie the creation and design of regulatory programs in the United States. This study compares the design characteristics of 12 regulatory programs that confer property rights to uncover patterns that might suggest the policy objectives of the policymakers. The results show programs do define and allocate property rights according to clearly visible rules, all of which work to support the economic status quo. To satisfy this paramount political objective, policymakers may sacrifice efficiency. But there is no evidence they intend these programs to shift wealth from a weaker to a stronger group.

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Rolph, Elizabeth S., Government allocation of property rights: who gets what? Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1983. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6940.html.
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